Gunning for Gold

The City of Vancouver Tactical Training Centre (TTC) is a brand new 4,800 sq m state-of-the-art indoor tactical and firearms training facility located near downtown Vancouver. The program was to develop an essential training facility that would provide Force Options and Tactical Training for the Vancouver Police Department and other regional public safety agency personnel. With the potential to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the goal was to have the facility marketed, on a rental basis, to law enforcement and private security agencies for all their training needs including classroom instruction, control tactics, firearms maintenance and repair, and firearms qualification and tactical training.

The facility includes a 12-position 25 m range with retrievable targets for training and qualification, as well as a 16-position 50m range with removable barricades, running man targets, a raised control booth, and custom lighting options for a variety of specialised firearms training scenarios. To enhance the marketing appeal, the City needed to provide a leading edge training facility that was easily accessible to the users and would provide a comfortable and engaging space.

The City of Vancouver mandate of a LEED gold certified minimum standard for all city buildings governed the project and required the most stringent environmental standards for what is typically a challenging building type. Lead contamination from ammunition and primers pose a substantial health hazard for training personnel in any indoor training environment and potential noise impact to the surrounding neighbourhood requires effective acoustic control.

The building site is situated in a commercial / industrial area just on the fringe of residential neighbourhoods and therefore needed to respond to both the language of the immediate surroundings as well as the general area.